Media Restrictions and Journalist Violations in Afghanistan Rise by 24%: Report
The Afghanistan National Journalists’ Union and the Afghanistan Journalists Center have released reports ahead of National Journalists’ Day, March 17, shedding light on the situation of media and journalists over the past year. These reports present a concerning picture of the restrictions, rights violations, and challenges faced by the media under the rule of the Taliban administration.
According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center, in the year 1403 of the Solar calendar, the number of violations of journalists’ rights increased by about 24% compared to the previous year. The center recorded 172 incidents of media rights violations, which included threats, temporary and long-term detentions, physical violence, and the forced closure of media outlets.
The findings from this center show that in the past year, 22 media outlets ceased operations, and over 50 journalists were detained and imprisoned by the Taliban. The report also highlights at least five new restrictive directives issued by the Taliban, severely limiting the freedom of action of the media.
The implementation of the Talban’s “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law is also cited as a major factor threatening the activities of media and journalists. This law grants wide powers to religious police or “moral police,” allowing them to dictate dos and don’ts for the public, including media workers.
The Afghanistan National Journalists’ Union also reported that Afghan journalists and media outlets are facing “severe economic and professional challenges.” According to the report, half of the journalists in Afghanistan, especially in the provinces, are working “without benefits and salaries.”
One of the alarming issues highlighted by the National Journalists’ Union is the lack of job security in Afghanistan’s media outlets. The union pointed out that such job security is currently nonexistent even in “the largest media outlets in Afghanistan.”
The reports paint a grim picture of the media landscape in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. The achievements made over the past two decades in terms of media freedom have been significantly weakened, with a decline in the number of active media outlets, widespread unemployment among journalists (especially women, over 80% of whom have lost their jobs), and increasing censorship.
Supporting organizations for journalists have expressed concern over the situation and called on the Taliban administration to lift the restrictions and uphold its commitments to implementing media laws. They have also urged the international community to take further action to support Afghanistan’s media and journalists.
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